Showing posts with label Cooper Square Hotel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooper Square Hotel. Show all posts

Friday, December 2, 2011

Oh, on second thought, André Balazs only paid $67.5 million for the Cooper Square Hotel

And not the $91 million that was previously reported. This news comes via Roland Li at the International Business Times. Read it here.

Meanwhile, Goggla notes the end of the mural (Balazsification) on the side of the former Cooper Square Hotel... now called The Dradnats Standard East Village


The Shepard Fairey mural went up in April 2010.

Meanwhile, some fallout...

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

'Don't you think that André Balazs knows what's going in at the empty lot next door?'


Well you probably know that André Balazs bought the Cooper Square Hotel and is turning the joint into The Standard East Village.

So we were having an email exchange with an EV Grieve regular who was trying to sound upbeat about the sale. Maybe it won't be so bad, he or she tried. They said it will be "a more mellow alternative" to the bumping-and-grinding off the High Line, right?

Of course, you have to say those kinds of things now to appease the Community Board, neighbors, etc.

Then the reader said, or wrote: Don't you think that André Balazs knows what's going in at the empty lot next door?

Now that's an interesting question. Earlier this year, despite an outpouring of support for 35 Cooper Square, developer Arun Bhatia had the historic structure demolished to make way for whatever he has planned for the lot adjacent to the hotel off Sixth Street.

Bhatia hasn't said what's coming to the space. Most people assume it will be some condo/hotel/dorm complex with chain-store retail on the ground-floor and some nonprofit or community facility for good (tax) measure.

Anyway, as The Wall Street Journal reported earlier in the fall, Balazs bought the Cooper Square Hotel for $90 million.

If you're putting out that much for the property, then you'll gonna want to know what your new neighbor will be.... some day.

Meanwhile, if André, "Stan" or anyone wants to send us a note to the tipline with any renderings or plans for the empty lot...

[Photo by Shawn Chittle.]

Monday, November 21, 2011

The Standard East Village makes it official; plus the Trilby sign is gone


On Friday morning, Page Six reported that André Balazs was ready to turn the Cooper Square Hotel into The Standard East Village.

Later on Friday, The Standard made it official on its website via a post by "Stan D’Arde," the "perennial voice of The Standard Hotels." Here's what "Stan" had to say ...

Let’s cut straight to the point. I know you have been hearing rumors that we at The Standard Hotels were bringing you, our Stan D’esirably loyal family, another property in New York City to call your own. Well, I’m here today to squash all those rumors and to give you the facts straight from the Stan’s mouth…

WE ARE VERY PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE 5TH ADDITION TO OUR STANDARD FAMILY WITH THE STANDARD, EAST VILLAGE!

There. I said it, and there’s no turning back.

Since you’re already part of our family, you know how very unique all of the siblings are. The Standard Hotels in Hollywood, Downtown LA, Miami and New York are each special in their own way, and this latest property already fits right in.

Don’t get too excited though! Unlike The Standard, New York, this Eastside counterpart, located on the corner of East 5th Street and Bowery at Cooper Square, is going to be a more mellow alternative to all the boom in your Westside room. Spanning 21 floors with 145 rooms offering stunning cityscape views, The Standard, East Village will offer you all the spacious comforts and high ‘standards’ to which you’ve grown accustomed.

Over the next year, we’ll be refurbishing the rooms, revamping the restaurant and reimagining the public spaces to make everything perfect for you. Oh, and when I say I’ll be “working”, I mean I’ll be at the bar sipping my martini, pointing at things and telling people where another bar should probably belong.

We’re really excited to be moving into the hood with old friends like Creative Time and The New Museum and to meet all the new friends waiting for us. We know we’ll see you there, so keep checking back for updates. I’ll be keeping you posted every step of the way.

xoxo
Stan

xoxo right back atcha Stan!

Meanwhile, there are already a few noticeable changes. Or at least one.

Like! Remember the Trilby hitchin' post that workers installed last July?


Gone!


Friday, November 18, 2011

Prepare to welcome The Standard East Village


Page Six has the following news today (via Eater):

André Balazs is turning the Cooper Square Hotel into The Standard East Village. Sources say the high-flying hotelier’s deal to buy the beleaguered East Fifth Street Cooper Square gem will close today. Sources added that, under Balazs and his partners, the 105-room hotel's public spaces will be reconfigured, its rooms refurbished and its restaurants overhauled over the course of the next year. The property will be The Standard's more "intimate and residential" location than its boisterous site straddling the High Line...

And, in an exclusive, we have obtained The Standard's plans for renovations right here... Not yet confirmed for authenticity...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

[EVG Flashback] Residents discuss the problems created by the Cooper Square Hotel: Meanwhile, across the street, a party for a sports car

Originally posted on June 3, 2009...

Last night, nearly 50 residents convened at the JASA/Green Residence to discuss concerns the impact that the Cooper Square Hotel has had on the neighborhood. (Jeremiah has been on the story with his must-read Notes from the Backside series.)



The event was organized by the East Fifth Street Block Association. Matthew Moss, principal of the Peck Moss Hotel Group, the developer of the $115 million Cooper Square Hotel, was there to field questions from the audience. Stuart Zamsky, head of the East Fifth Street Block Association, ran the meeting along with Carrie Schneider, whose apartment is a few feet away from the Cooper Square Hotel's much-discussed second-level bar area. CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer was in attendance as was a representative from the office of Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer. (I was a few minutes late, and missed all the introductions.)



The meeting started cordially enough. There was talk about the smoke coming from the fireplace in the ground-floor library. "We will not use the fireplace until we figure out this smoke issue," Moss said. That was easy. Next!

Then the discussion turned to the contentious second-floor outdoor patio (there is no actual bar outside — guests can drink in the space, though). Although the patio officially closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 10 p.m. on Thursday and 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday [UPDATE: These hours are incorrect — see the comments for the hours of operation], residents have said there are disturbed at all hours. For instance, guests have been able to access the area after hours and hotel employees have used the space as a breakroom to smoke and make cell-phone calls. Moss said that until the hotel can install a permanent gate at the landing of the main stairs leading to the terrace, a security guard has been hired to stand duty to prevent off-hour access. The presence of a security guard has helped curb some unwanted chatter, people thought.

Soon enough, though, things started to change. Maybe it was the increasingly warm community room in need of a breeze, the water fountain in the back that occasionally made a clanging noise...or maybe people were just tired of Moss mumbling. Every few sentences, people had to ask for him to speak up. It didn't help that Moss, an awkward public speaker, acted at times like a fraternity brother being scolded by his housemother for not picking up his dirty clothes.

"It sucks for the people who are here," Zamsky said of all the problems the hotel has created for residents. "It's not good."

Moss, who was prone to squirming, tugging at his lip and — a few times — rolling his eyes, said at one point, "There's nothing else for me to say. The responsibility lies with me... Anything I say is going to sound like an excuse."



Fifth Street residents talked about the lack of parking spaces now available to them and the limos that line up in the evenings. One woman in a wheelchair said their families can't find a place to park when they come to town for a visit. "You have nothing but excuses! You have created another problem for us."

Said Moss, "I don't doubt for a second that the hotel has some negative impact on the community. I'm also of the belief that there is some good that comes from" our presence. He didn't offer what that was.

Moss also said that the hotel has offered to pay to soundproof the windows for residents at 207 Fifth St. who are adjacent to the hotel and have suffered the most since the patio opened last month. "That's not a perfect solution," he admitted.

A representative from Scott Stringer's office, who arrived late, confirmed that Moss met with Stringer yesterday morning and put it in writing that the hotel is willing to pay to soundproof windows. [CORRECTION: The representative from Scott Stringer's office, Greg Kirschenbaum, did not indicate that Borough President Stringer met with Moss: he stated that Moss had reached out to him to offer the soundproofing and that Moss then provided that offer in writing. Stringer did not meet with Moss. We apologize for the error in reporting.] One problem, though: The landlord of 207 Fifth St. is not receptive to such an idea.

One resident said soundproofing windows just wasn't good enough. "You have a public space out there. There are public spaces such as libraries where even homeless people that hang out know you have to be quiet." He mentioned that management should tell the hotel guests to whisper while they're on the patio. Continued the resident, "The other thing about soundproof windows: You're suggesting that the people who live there will never want to open their windows."

The residents had more to say.



Moss looked as if he wanted to shrink inside his blue blazer. He was unprepared. He had no noticeable personality. He lacked the diplomatic skills necessary for the hospitality industry — or any industry. He had no answers to questions about the noise complaints and other quality-of-life issues raised during the meeting. "I don't know...We need to figure out how to make it work," he said. He wouldn't offer a timetable for possible solutions to the noise. "I don't even know what the solutions are going to be."

Someone mentioned the tactics used by residents to retaliate against the noise. "I don't think it's really relevant," Moss snapped. Another resident asked about the secret nightclub that was going to open in the Cooper Square Hotel. "It's not going to be a nightclub," Moss said. He called it a "supper club," which will be in the basement. "I'd be surprised if it happened this year," he said.

At this point, you get the idea. To be honest, so much was discussed during the 75-plus minutes that I was at the meeting. I didn't capture every complaint, every name, every possible solution from calling 311 to the hotel manager on duty. But I had a good snapshot of what has been happening to the residents living adjacent to the hotel. So I left.



I started thinking about the hardships that I heard that night. The woman in the wheelchair whose family can't find a place to park to visit her. The residents being kept up by the party-going hotel guests. I thought about the older man who cared enough to show up at the meeting with a sign of protest against the hotel. Later, he fell asleep in the back of the room near an open door.

So I walked out of the JASA/Green Residence, which faces the south side of the Cooper Square Hotel. And what was there waiting for all the concerned residents exiting the meeting?



An invitation-only party thrown by the 100 Thousand Club and Aston Martin to unveil the DBS Volante Convertible.

Just to spell this out for myself. The co-owner of the Cooper Square Hotel agreed to meet with concerned local residents about noise complaints and quality-of-life issues on the same night that his hotel was throwing a party for a $280,000 sports car.

The crowd was tan and fit. They all looked so happy with drinks in hand. (Jeremiah also witnessed the party: He has much more on the scene.)





Guests took turns sitting inside the car for photo opps.



A few of the residents who attended the meeting stood on the sidewalk by the Cooper's outdoor patio with incredulous looks on their faces. One man ran back inside to ask Moss if he was aware there were 200 people partying behind the hotel.



I saw three different people leave the patio and enter the sidewalk with drinks. The security on duty only seemed concerned with the non-guests gawking on the sidewalk. One guest walked east a few buildings on Fifth Street. He hiked his khaki-clad leg up on a railing while holding a bottle of Stella and talking on his cell phone. Meanwhile, chauffeured town cars double-parked on Fifth Street. Other cars idled in front of fire hydrants.



One driver shrugged off the threats of a resident who asked him to move. He continued talking on his cell phone.



By the way, the only time Moss ever offered an apology last night occured after he was asked to speak up so the people in the back of the room could hear him.

For further reading:
Raging Against the Coop: the Developer/Neighbor Faceoff (Eater)

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Cooper Square Hotel gets the OK to be Balazsed

As we noted, hotelier Andre Balazs is taking over the troubled Cooper Square Hotel. And last night, Balazs was at the CB3/SLA meeting to seek a transfer of the Coop's liquor license to his Standard chain.

A shame we missed it. Heard it was some good theater. Per Jetty-Jane Connor's report at Eater, one resident in favor of the transfer said, "We have the option to choose between badly managed nightlife or well managed nightlife, and I firmly believe having an upscale, well-managed establishment will be an improvement to this neighborhood."

The CB3/SLA committee didn't seem to mind that any this may very well turn into the Meatpacking District East. (Or maybe it already has.) The transfer received the committee's unanimous approval.

Here's DNAinfo's recap from the meeting.

[Balazs image via]

Monday, September 19, 2011

What are the chances that Andre Balazs shows up for tonight's CB3/SLA meeting?

On Friday, we pointed out that famed hotelier Andre Balazs is taking over the Cooper Square Hotel. Tonight, the Coop appears before the CB3/SLA committee for a liquor license transfer.

A reader asks, "What are the chances that Andre Balazs shows up for the meeting?"

Hmm, haven't thought about it.

On one hand, it would certainly be a neighborly gesture. Show up and make a good-faith appearance. Share what his plans are. Meet the neighbors. Show that he's just one of the guys. Say nice things to Susan Stetzer.

But, in reality, isn't this what minions are for? You really think someone as busy and powerful and Chelsea Handler dating as Andre Balazs is really going to show up for a community board meeting?

(Keith McNally showed up for a Community Board 2 meeting last year. But he just owns restaurants, not hotels.)

Regardless, keep an eye out for him. Here's what he looks like:


Oops! Sorry. That's my 1977 Topps card of Richie Zisk.

Here is Andre on the left with Jordan Catalano Jared Leto from the other week:

[Via]

Friday, September 16, 2011

Andre Balazs prepping to take over the Cooper Square Hotel


Last month, Hotel Chatter heard that hotelier Andre "Boom Boom" Balazs was taking over the troubled Cooper Square Hotel. As soon as now.

On Monday, the CB3/SLA committee holds its monthly funfest. And on the agenda: Cooper Square Hotel (CooperAB LLC) with a liquor license transfer.

According to CB3 documents (PDF):


There's Andre's name right there as the hotel's principal.

Anyway, as Curbed has noted the hotel has been on the block — with an asking price upwards of $80 million.

Brief Balazs background: Among other properties, he owns The Standard in the Meatpacking District. The hotel features the Boom Boom Room, or Top of the Standard, which likely has the toughest door policy in the city.

Anyway, what's all this mean for the Cooper and the neighborhood? Maybe nothing. Or, uh, full-frontal nudity.

But really. Per Guest of a Guest:

"Does this mean the east side is going to see the likes of the Boom Boom Room and Le Bain nightlife crowd? Le Bain was a prime and hot spot for Fashion Week parties last year and mostly this year's as well. After Balazs re-opened the Boom Boom room as a private club, Le Bain was positioned to pick up the pieces of the Boom Boom room's former existence. But it didn't quite fill the void.

"Will that happen with the Cooper Square Hotel? Certainly the top floor Cooper Square Hotel has the ability to be crafted as a replica of the Boom Boom room's fun palace. Could Balazs recreate the magic?"

Backsiders, get ready to give Andre a proper East Village welcome!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Friday, August 19, 2011

If André Balazs buys the Cooper Square Hotel, then are we in for some public displays of sex here?

According to Hotel Chatter (via Curbed), hotelier Andre Balazs may be taking over our very own Cooper Square Hotel.

As you'll recall a few summers back, there was all that hoopla at the Standard, a property that Balazs operates by the High Line. There were those exhibitionist types screwing or masturbating doing this or that in full view of the commoners below.

[Photo at the Standard via]

Well, this is just one way to spice up an otherwise rather moribund property like the Cooper Square Hotel. Been some time since we've seen any Cooper Square Cheesecake.

Monday, July 11, 2011

The Trilby puts out a hitchin' post

Nearly five months after opening inside the Cooper Square Hotel, the Trilby now has a prominent sign out front...


EV Grieve contributor Bobby Williams saw this scene on Friday afternoon, answering the important question, How many Cooper Square employees does it take to install a Trilby sign?

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Taggers hit Cooper Square Hotel fence; spare Pimm's Cup sign

A worker was out this morning cleaning off the freshly tagged popsicle fence at the Cooper Square Hotel.





However, the Pimm's Cup sign was spared.


Previously.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Expect a rebranded Cooper Square Hotel one of these days


At the Post today, Lois Weiss reports that "the trendy upscale Cooper Square Hotel" is for sale. As she notes, the sale is expected to attract interest from "equally trendy hoteliers like Ian Schrager and Rocco Forte."

Woo!

The marketing materials boast "an exclusive bar on the second floor featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and an expansive 1,700-square-foot outdoor patio."

The CoHo, you know (sorry!), had to hand itself over, or something, in a $71 million restructuring deal, The Real Deal reported back in March.

But! As Weiss writes:

Things are looking up, however. At least one night this weekend is sold out and the following weekend has availability with rates ranging from $392 to $441 for a king-size room. With city occupancy continuing to bounce upward along with tourism and room rates, Westport Capital probably figured it was an opportune time to hit the market.

A call to Christopher McClure, CEO of Westport Capital, also went unreturned by press time. Harmon is currently wrapping up the sale of the Chelsea Hotel to an as-yet-unnamed buyer for around $80 million.

When the dust settles, sources said, the Cooper Square Hotel should top that price, especially since it is sparkling new and has no hotel management contracts in place.

"It can be totally rebranded," said one source.

That "sparkling new" exterior will need to be hosed down when the demolition and subsequent construction starts directly next door at the former 35 Cooper Square.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

$71 million later, the Cooper Square Hotel has a new owner


The Real Deal reported today that the Cooper Square Hotel handed the keys over to Westport Capital Partners as part of a $71 million debt restructuring deal. As the story notes, the original hotel owners quickly ran into financial trouble after opening in 2008.

Meanwhile! Managing partner Klaus Ortlieb said that "March room rates are averaging around $300 per night with 85 percent occupancy, with rates expected to rise into the mid-$300 range over the summer and $400s in the fall."

Friday, February 25, 2011

The latest worse thing to happen to Cooper Square in the last few minutes

As Eater put it the other day: "A new restaurant is opening at the Cooper Square Hotel [today]. And what better way to announce said restaurant than the terrifying graphic of a giant old hand dangling an ominous pocket watch?"


The place is called The Trilby. And from all we've seen and heard about the place, it sounds like a major toolville.

Exhibit No. 2:


As usual, UrbanDaddy spreads the smarmalade on a little too thick:

You’ll want to incorporate this spot as a before, after or in-between option for when you find yourself turned around in the Bowery. A place where you’ll order up the namesake cocktail (scotch, sweet vermouth and Parfait d’Amour), pair it with some Mini Short Rib Sandwiches and make yourself at home on a broken-in vintage couch for a few hours.

And as one might expect from a room of predominantly reclaimed wood, it’ll expand in the summer. The banquettes, settees and even boozy pots of mussels will all be moved outside into the garden.

Oh boy. This should provide a whole new installment of Notes from the Backside.

Oh, and the arrival of the Shrillby explains this.

[Images via Eater]